The Gatekeeper chanted an obscure incantation, and the heavy Deep Sea Gate—which could not be pushed open by sheer strength—slowly swung open.
Beyond the gate lay a broad platform, upon which stood a circular magic array.
The array was patterned with waves, as if the sea were flowing in from all directions toward a central point.
Beyond the platform and the array stretched an endless, surging ocean. Where sea met sky, the horizon bulged upward, as if it stood higher than the land.
The open view and the deep blue sea and sky immediately lifted everyone's spirits.
Gelman passed through the Deep Sea Gate and descended the moss-covered stone steps. As he reached the edge of the circular array, he suddenly sensed something unusual.
The sensation was much like the one he'd felt while walking across the circular arrays in the Ancient Labyrinth Tower and during the Egg in the Pot Ritual. It left him unsettled.
Could it be...
Suspecting what was happening, he took out his Hunter Badge and sensed a new change in his Teleport Lantern—one more of the eleven special Teleport Lanterns had lit up.
"Special Lantern Teleportation Point: Deep Sea Gate"
Just as he'd thought.
This was another long-established Special Lantern Teleportation Point, which meant he could teleport here from any of the other Special Lantern Teleportation Points at no cost.
The Gatekeeper hadn't noticed anything unusual about Gelman. It simply strode forward, reaching the edge of the platform over the sea in a single effortless step.
It slowly bent down and rested its claws on the glittering seawater, gently turning and kneading the ripples.
The ripples spread into the distance, growing larger and larger, as if they would never stop.
Gelman put away his Hunter Badge and joined the others at the edge, silently watching